Kai Havertz and Ben White scored twice as Arsenal beat Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday, advancing the Premier League title race and increasing the pressure on Liverpool and Manchester City. Leandro Trossard also scored in the Gunners’ record victory over Chelsea, who are three points clear of Liverpool and four over Manchester City. The fate of the title remains in City’s hands, as the defending champions have two games in hand. Liverpool have also played one fewer game than Arsenal and will be in action against Everton in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday.
However, Mikel Arteta’s men’s goal difference advantage now looks impregnable should it prove decisive in the title race.
“We made our people very proud, it’s a big derby for us and I know what that means,” said Arteta.
“We started the game very well, but we didn’t take all of our chances – we were a little sloppy in certain areas of the field.
“In the second half we were much more disciplined, we created opportunities and were relentless in front of goal.”
Title rivals Chelsea and Arsenal suffered a major blow before kick-off when Blues’ dangerous player Cole Palmer was sidelined through illness.
Palmer has scored or assisted almost 50 percent of Chelsea’s Premier League goals this season and his presence has been missed by the visitors.
Despite enduring a disappointing first season under Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea were unbeaten in eight consecutive league games before their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
But they were surprised by an Arsenal side eager to reassert their title credentials after losing their last home game to Aston Villa.
“It’s so difficult (a) result and performance (to accept) because it’s not nice to see your team playing like that from the start of the game,” Pochettino said.
“Today we are not competing against a team that is fighting for the Premier League. We need to be aware that we need to compete in a different way.”
The hosts came out of the blocks and took the lead within five minutes.
Trossard only ended up at the Emirates after Arsenal were beaten by Chelsea in the battle to sign Mykhailo Mudryk in January 2023.
The Belgian proved to be a much more productive signing and scored his 15th goal of the season at Djordje Petrovic’s near post.
Havertz haunts Chelsea
Petrovic made amends for a mistake in the first goal with two brilliant saves to deflect Havertz’s low shot and a deflected shot from Trossard to keep his side in the game before the break.
The Serbian briefly kept Arsenal under control at the start of the second period with saves from Declan Rice and Havertz.
However, the floodgates opened when White scored Arsenal’s second goal after Chelsea had failed to clear a corner in the 52nd minute.
Havertz scored the winning goal in the Champions League final for Chelsea during his three years in west London, but never performed consistently at the level he has found in recent months under Arteta.
Martin Odegaard’s stunning pass got the finish it deserved, with Havertz slotting past Petrovic.
His next finish was more subtle, with the German international firing at the post from Bukayo Saka’s pass for his seventh goal in his last 14 games for the club.
An unforgettable night for Chelsea was summed up when White’s attempted cross flew into the top corner following another sensational pass from Odegaard.
The defeat leaves Chelsea still ninth, three points behind the European places.
Arsenal’s next game is what appears to be their biggest obstacle, being Tottenham in the North London derby on Sunday.
If Arteta’s side win at the home of their fiercest rivals, City will likely need to be perfect in their last six games to retain the title.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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